Abstract
The present study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the oral health status and the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease. The Decayed, Missing, Filled (DMFT) index and the quality of life questionnaire for people with Parkinson’s disease (Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39) were used as evaluation instruments. Sixty-two people with a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease between stages 1 and 3, age between 46 and 86 years, of both sexes, with an average time of disease evolution of 7 years, participated in the study. Data were evaluated using the Pearson’s correlation test, and one-way ANOVA (p < 0.05). The mean DMFT obtained was 23; there was no correlation between the DMFT values and the total score of the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 neither in its domains, nor between the DMFT and the stages of Parkinson’s disease (p = 0.61). We found that the oral health of parkinsonians is deficient due to the high number of missing teeth, but their perception of quality of life is favorable despite their motor limitations related to mobility, and activities of daily living.
Highlights
Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been studied since 1817 by the British physician James Parkinson as a progressive condition characterized by involuntary tremor with little muscular strength [1]
We found that the oral health of parkinsonians is deficient due to the high number of missing teeth, but their perception of quality of life is favorable despite their motor limitations related to mobility, and activities of daily living
Few studies are found on the literature regarding the real impact of this disease on oral health; this study aimed to evaluate the existence of any association between the oral condition and quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease
Summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been studied since 1817 by the British physician James Parkinson as a progressive condition characterized by involuntary tremor with little muscular strength [1]. It is a chronic disease of the central nervous. Levodopa is the most widely used substance and its prescription may be isolated or associated with dopaminergic agonists, anticholinergics, COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase) inhibitors, and dopamine carboxylase inhibitors [7]
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